Cotton harvesting



Nov. @y M47., A. E. zocK COTTON HARVESTING Filed Aug. 17, 1944 Patented Nov. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE- COTTON HARVESTING August E. Zoek', Sault S'tc. Marie, Mich.

App

1 Claim.

This invention relates to multi-service adapteable power-actuated equipment, having peculiar advantages in agriculture, even to the special service of harvesting such crops as cotton' and' the like.

This invention has' utility when incorporated in suction, blower and separator assembly, in conjunction with work gathering and take-off equipment, more particularly for gathering from the field a crop of cotton and the packaging thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is aside elevation', with parts brokenaway, of an embodiment of the invention, for picking or gathering cotton from its bolls, cleaning the separated liber stock andl accumulating for bagging or other bulk transportationv thereof Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the work gathering duct section terminus, showing thel swivel mounting for the intake nozzle', portions of the fragmentary showing beingY in section;

Fig.v 3 is a detail view in vertical section length Wise of theseparator adapted for pneumatic re'- moval of foreign matter nes;

Fig. 4 is a plan View, somewhat extended' and diagrammatic,l of the pneumaticl equipment off Fig. 1, together with. the driving means therefor;l and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective'view of p01"- tions of the separator or screen" mechanism of the equipment.

When put intoV service for harvesting, the in` vention hereunder may be placed upon avdeck' l of a wagon having a tongue or thills 2. In the ini stance of caring for a cotton crop, it is advantageous to have. the hauling equipment astride a row of the crop. With such a purpose in View. it is desirable theA wagon gear be of a light weight for carrying the cotton harvesting machine, including attachments and crop receiving receptacle; or the adaptation may be effected inceri-- nection with otherwise more general equipment, thru supply of extra rim or large diameter wheels 3.

The invention proper has adaptability advantages when such be assembledV on a base 4. Near one end, say that asset up as forward on a wagon or truck to be taken aeld, a shiftable or adjustable mounting may be provided, or by meansy of links 5V there is thus supported a base (il for an internal combustion engine orA prime mover 1. The parallel. sets of links 5 mount the engine 'l to have its base (iv move at al1 times parallel to the major base 4. Fixed with the for ward pair of'links 5 is a hand lever 8 having a dog 9 to engage a quadrant l0 xed. with. the

cation August 17, 1944, Serial No. 549,825'

base 4. There is thus readily and conveniently availablek tov the operator, a quick and positive means for positioning of the prime mover 'l having adrive pulley I'l toactuate a V-'belt I2 ex'- tending about a pulley l3- xed to a shaft I4 c'arried by bearing brackets I5' rising from the base 4.

Mounted on the shaft I4 is a. blower i6 having. an intake Il and a discharge duct I8. Adjacent the blower i6 is a suction fan or another blower I9 having a discharge duct 20,` which may have a downwardly directed outlet at a nare or ve-I locity-dissipating terminus 2 l, adjacent and pref -e erably below the baseV 4 and laterally thereof to" be clear of the cotton row.

Adjacent the motor 1, and between such motor and the blower-'fanv power actuated equipment, brackets 22 upwardly from the base 4', providebearings mounting a shaft 23, upon which is a flat-facedi pulley 24. With theI hand lever 8- swung toward the engine 1, the V-bel1t l2 is slacked, and the motor 'l is thereby disconnected for starting clear of a load. When the motor 1f is started, a pulling of the lever 8 forward not only tightens the V-belt I2v for such to drive7 the pulley i3', but it simultaneously has the outer flat side` of such V-belt I2, pulled taut as to they outer lower face of its under reach again-st the top of the pulley 24. A pulley 25 xed on the shaft 23 with an-d` adjacent the pulley 24, is thus con-v nected' thrua belt 26 to drive a pulley 21 on a shaft 23. A belt tightener comprising a pulley 28 is yieldably held against the upper reach of the belt 26' by spring I8.

A hub 29 is xed on the shaft 28'.. Rubber or fabric blades 3B provide termin-ally flexiblek wings extending from the hub 29. At thenormal'speed of rotation for the sha-ft 23, there is sulcient cen'-y trifugal forcet'o hold yie'ldably the free or outer ends of the blades 3i? to wipe theinner walls of the housing 3ft therefor. The housing 3lon its lower side has a chamber region 3'2. The separator chamber 32 is inthe housing, 33 and: is aboveA and in communication' with the housing 3l. The communication opening from: the heusing. 33 to the housing 3l is an opening upwardly through which the wings 30 may' swin'g.- The wings Se iny thehousing lserve as a rotary valve cutting oli air draft betweeny the housing 33 and the chamber 32.

The housing 33 provides ai pivotallmounting for a slightly downwardly directed armA having at its free end the belt tightener roller 2B' (Fig. 1) as the load for the tightener.

The housing 33 has the` receiving' chamber' 32 3 eifective thru suction upon ducts 34. The flexible ducts 34 may be equipped with a special oval head 35 (Fig. l), Inwardly extending spaced tines or pins 33 may be at the head 35 and directed toward the duct 34, With suction draft at the head 35, a workman afoot may direct the head toward cotton plant carrying bolls to have the bolls of fiber drawn into the duct 34 en route to the separator housing 33. The head or nozzle 35 in practice may be 11/4" semicircular in form at its ends with its longer dimension between the mid points of such end from 3 to 31/2", For such a dimension nozzle 35, the duct 34 may be 11A" diameter.

In the preferred practice, at the free end of the duct 34 there is a countersunk seat 36 (Fig. 2) A claw or hook 31 extends thereover. Diametrically opposite from the hook 31, there is an eye 38. A hook 33 has a threaded stem therefrom extend thru the eye 38 to be there engaged by a nut 49, to adjust the hook 39 relatively to the duct 34. A tubular extension fitting or handle 4| has a swivel mounting at the duct seat 33. For this mounting, there is loose on the handle 4| a sleeve 43 having an outer bounding rib at its end adapted to be engaged by the hooks 31, 39. In this assembly the sleeve 43 locates an outer bounding rib at the end of the handle 4| in the seat 3G. Adjustment of the nut 49 serves to effect this swivel joint assembly.

' The swivel mounted handle 4| has an advantage'in cotton boll pick-up when provided with a slight bend portion (Fig. l). There is more foliage to interfere with gathering cotton at the earlier portion of the season. Attaching means 46 may mount a are screen 41 to overhang beyoud the nozzle 35. This screen or foraminous guard allows the operator to thrust the nozzle 35 more readily thru the foliage to the vicinity of the cotton boils; The various adaptations for the nozzle 35 extend its eifective use in gathering the fiber, even as to adverse weather conditions having disturbed the boil as to tightness or fiber dislocation. l

' The fan i9 has a suction intake 48 providing the draft inward from the nozzles 35, thru the connection of the duct 49 to the housing 33. The fan i9 may establish in a region 43 of the housing 33 a subatmospheric pressure as low as 14 of mercury, and even up to 22". Eicient capacity for gathering even dew-dampened ber, is had with the duct 48 in the range of 31/2 to 4 in diameter with the two ducts 34 each 1%" diameter connected to the chamber region 32 of the separator housing 33.

Between the region 32 with which the ducts 34 have direct communication and the region 49 with which the duct 49 has direct communication, there is partition frame 59 with closely spaced parallel slats 5l. From above and adjacent the 'entrance of the ducts 34 to the housing 33, this partition 5G, 5|, inlines at an angle downwardly, herein as 20 long and in the range of 20, to extend across the opening from the region 32 to the casing or valve housing 3l. The flat strips or slats 5| may be of brass #16 gage as non-corrosive material, spaced fa" apart with their 1/2" width flat sides toward each other. The in-draft to the housing 33 from the ducts 34, thus has the region 32 in its cross-section decrease toward the rotary valve 29, 39. The carrying draft for the ber is into the region 32 of the housing 33 below the partition 5D, 5|. The underside or edge portions of the slats 5| entrain theA fiber to be releasedto the rotary valve, while the air escapes between the slats 5| into the region 49. The preferred practice for the partition 50, 5|, is that its dip or downward inclination be more than 15, but not as steep as 25. The entraining effected by the slate is of the coarser or lighter fiber, while the nes, as dust and trash, tend to swirl thru the narrow slots between the slats 5| into the region 49, to be from there taken out by the duct 48Vto the fan I9, for passing therefrom into the discharge duct 20.

The partition 5i), 5|, by having its narrow edges down at the ber receiving region 32 of the housing 33, does not tend to cause the bers to wind thereon or adhere thereto. The fiber accumulation, engaged by the partition 50, 5|, is delivered by the rotary valve 29, 39, to a way 52 to one side of which the duct |8 extends from the blower I6.

With the separated-out fibers, there may be some leaves, carpels and seed. The duct I8 effects blowing across the way 52 to cause the ber and other matter to flow thru a duct 53, a bend 54, past a screen or foraminous section 55 for air to exhaust and allow the fiber and other matter to pass thru an opening 53 into a bag 51.

In carrying out the practice hereunder, there is efficiency, not only in the initial investment, but in the special field operations, as well as range of adaptabilities therefor. Preferably with a tongue 2, the draft animals, say mules, may be one on each side of the row of cotton as to which the vehicle is astride. With two ducts 34, two operators may direct the nozzles 35 for the pick-up suctions to gather eiiciently and quickly. According to the volume of crop being harvested, the mules may be allowed to take a slow pace, or progress intermittently, upon voice or line signals, or both, from one or other of the operators as in rear of the vehicle or Wagon I. Such vehicle may have its deck of sufficient extent to carry one or more bags 51, say to the margin of the eld.

t is to be noted that the several discharges are so designed that such may not agitate the released material, The harvested cotton falls by gravity from the discharge outlet 56 into a bag 51, thereby not inilating such bag. The foreign material removed by the separator 33 may be deposited in a way beside the row of cotton, by the spread spill 2|, not to contaminate the still growing crop, nor disturb the operators by dusting toward them. The prime mover 1, when an internal combustion motor, may have its Vexhaust duct 58 in its transit thru a muffler to a downward dissipating spill 59, likewise in a row Way not to annoy the crop gatherers at the tools 4|, nor to disturb the row on either side of such spill 59.

Inasmuch as the base 4 is readily removed from the wagon deck there is left open the general wide or normal use for the wagon, independent of haulage equipment for the harvester hereunder, with absence of necessity for special operator afield. Widening of the purposes for equipment uses may extend to dusting or insecticide treatments, in having connections to the pneumatic discharges, whether ducts 23, I8, or either. A variable speed power take-off at the pulley may still further widen the out-of-season use possibilities for this special cotton harvester investment, which assembled units may have a total weight of as low as 300# even with a 3 H. P. motor 1. v

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patentis:

Portable harvesting equipment for brous material comprising a prime mover, a suction blower driven by said prime mover, a separator` duct means connecting the outlet side of said separator with the suction blower, manually controlled nozzle intake means duct-connected with the opposite inlet side of said separator, a partition in said separator, said partition being disposed at a slight angle with respect to a line eX- tending between the inlet and the outlet of said separator and being formed of closely spaced and parallel slats disposed on edge, a valve housing forming a part of the separator and disposed below said partition, a rotary Valve in said housing and provided with flexible blades adapted, during rotation, to wipe the lower edges of said partition slats whereby to direct the coarse iibrous material into said housing, a duct connected to said housing and extending to a point of discharge, a second blower also driven by said prime mover connected to said housing for forcing the coarse fibrous material out of said housing and thru said last named duct to said point of discharge, the arrangement being such that the 'nes and like Waste material entering the separator from the intake nozzle means pass thru the partition and out of the outlet to said separator.

AUGUST E. ZOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

